Limerick Colbert railway station

Limerick railway station also known as Colbert Station (Irish: Stáisiún Uí Cholbáird) or Limerick Colbert serves the city of Limerick in County Limerick, Ireland. It is on Parnell Street and is the main station on the Limerick Suburban Rail network. It has approximately 2,500 rail passengers a day travelling on four rail routes. The Bus Éireann bus station on site services approximately one million passengers a year, with 125 buses departing each day.^[1]

Limerick Colbert Stáisiún Uí Cholbáird
Limerick Railway Station
General information
Location	Parnell Street, Limerick, V94 H2PP Ireland
Coordinates	52°39′32″N 8°37′29″W / 52.6589°N 8.6246°W / 52.6589; -8.6246
Owned by	Iarnród Éireann
Operated by	Iarnród Éireann
Platforms	4
Construction
Structure type	At-grade
Other information
Station code	40
Key dates
1858	Station opened as Limerick
1966	Renamed Limerick Colbert Station
Services Preceding station   Iarnród Éireann   Following station Terminus   InterCity Dublin–Limerick via Thurles   Thurles Terminus   Commuter Limerick–Nenagh/Ballybrophy   Castleconnell Terminus   Commuter Limerick Suburban Rail   Limerick Junction Terminus   InterCity Limerick–Galway   Sixmilebridge   Commuter Limerick Suburban Rail

v t e Dublin–Cork
Legend
Phoenix Park Tunnel to Dublin Connolly Luas Red Line to Dublin Connolly & The Point Dublin Heuston Luas Red Line to Tallaght & Saggart Inchicore Works Park West and Cherry Orchard † Clondalkin/Fonthill † Kishoge unused Lucan (south) 1947 Adamstown † Hazelhatch and Celbridge † Straffan 1947 Sallins and Naas † Newbridge † Curragh Racecourse 1977 Curragh Mainline 1999 Kildare † Dublin–Waterford Line Monasterevin † Portarlington † Dublin–Westport/Galway line Portlaoise to Kilkenny 1962 Laois Traincare Depot Mountrath 1976 Limerick–Ballybrophy line Ballybrophy Lisduff 1963 Templemore Thurles Goold's Cross 1976 to Cashel 1954 Dundrum 1976 Limerick–Rosslare line to Limerick Colbert and Rosslare Limerick Junction Emly 1963 Knocklong 1977 Kilmallock 1977 Charleville Buttevant 1977 Mallow Mallow–Tralee Line Mourne Abbey 1963 Rathduff 1976 Blarney (GSW) 1963 Cork Kent Cork–Cobh/Midleton line † Not served by services from Dublin to Cork

v t e Limerick–Galway
Legend
Dublin–Galway Line to Claremorris Athenry Oranmore Galway Craughwell Ardrahan Gort Ennis Sixmilebridge Limerick Colbert

v t e Limerick–Rosslare
Legend
Year closed Limerick Colbert to Foynes 2009 Western Railway Corridor to Galway Killonan 1963 Limerick–Ballybrophy line Boher 1963 Dromkeen 1976 Pallas Oola 1963 ← Dublin–Cork line → Limerick Junction Tipperary Bansha 1963 River Suir Cahir Clonmel to Thurles 1967 Kilsheelan 1963 Carrick-on-Suir Fiddown and Portlaw 1855 Grange 1963 Dublin–Waterford line Mallow–Waterford line 1967 Waterford West goods yard Waterford Plunkett to New Ross 1995 River Barrow Campile 2010 Ballycullane 2010 Wellingtonbridge 2010 Duncormick 1976 Bridgetown 2010 Killinick 1976 Felthouse Junction curve closed 1918 Dublin– Rosslare Line Rosslare Strand Kilrane 1963 Rosslare Europort

v t e Limerick to Ballybrophy line
Legend
Ballybrophy Dublin–Cork main line Roscrea Cloughjordan Nenagh Birdhill Castleconnell Dublin–Cork main line and to Waterford Limerick Colbert

Services

The station is the terminus of the Dublin–Limerick, Limerick–Nenagh–Ballybrophy and Limerick–Ennis–Galway lines.^[2] Connections for Cork, Clonmel, Carrick-on-Suir, Waterford and Kerry stations, such as Killarney, Farranfore and Tralee can be made at Limerick Junction.

Bus Éireann's Limerick depot is adjacent and offers Intercity, Express and Eurolines services.

Connecting to Shannon Airport

The 343 and 51 buses connect the railway station to Shannon Airport.

History

 

The station in 1907.

The station opened on 28 August 1858, replacing a temporary station 500 metres (1,600 ft) further east, which had operated from 9 May 1848. It was built by the Waterford and Limerick Railway (W&LR), which ran its first train, as far as Tipperary, on Tuesday, 9 May 1848, with intermediate stations at Killonan, Pallasgreen and Oola (all since closed). Two months later the GS&WR connected their Dublin–Cork line with the W&LR at Limerick Junction, near Tipperary. The work was carried out at the height of the Great Famine, resulting in extreme financial difficulties for the company.

Originally named "Limerick", the station was given the name Colbert on 10 April 1966 in commemoration of Cornelius Colbert, one of the executed leaders of the Easter Rising of 1916.

Other former routes^[3][4] from Limerick station included:

• a direct route to Cork via Patrickswell and Charleville (on the Dublin-Cork line) built by the Cork & Limerick Direct Railway
• the "North Kerry" line to Foynes, Newcastle West, Listowel and Tralee built in stages by three different companies in the mid to late 19th century
• a siding from Limerick Check to Castlemungret cement factory.

The direct line to Cork between Patrickswell and Charleville and the North Kerry line between Ballingrane and Tralee were dismantled in the [late 1960s - to be confirmed] and in the late 1980s respectively. A single-track remains in place between Limerick Check and Foynes, although disconnected from the network.

In 2022 work began to reopen the line to Foynes as a freight railway, with work scheduled to be completed in 2024.^[5]

Parts of the video for the Westlife song "My Love" were filmed at Colbert Station.^[6]

Redevelopment

Conditional planning permission was granted by Limerick city and county council for the €16.8m redevelopment of Colbert Station in December 2014.^[7]

Plan included:

• Phase 1. A new pedestrian plaza limestone paved area of 3,350 square metres (0.83 acres) replacing the car park at the front of the station.

• Phase 2. Knocking the former toilet block to make way for a new bus station, with the former bus station being converted into the access area for a new 235-space car park.

• Phase 3. Significant refurbishment of the interior of the railway station with new finishes throughout and provision of a new ticketing office and retail units.

Funding of approximately 3 million euro was secured for Phase 1 and work began in Quarter 1, 2015.^[1] The disused Fuel Station site was leveled and work completed on-site for a temporary car park in summer/autumn 2015.^[8] The temporary parking was used while work on station redevelopment took place. Phase 1 was completed in 2016.

During June 2017, extensive re-signalling works took place at Limerick Colbert. These works replaced two life-expired signal cabins that signaled all routes into and out of the station. During this time, platforms 3 and 4 were also straightened, lengthened and resurfaced.^[9]

In October 2017, one of the former Station Signal cabins was demolished to facilitate the extension of Platforms 1 and 2. Buffer stop arrangements to comply with modern safety requirements, similar to those on Platforms 3 & 4 were also provided for.^[10]

Separately Limerick council sought in 2015 to redevelop the Parnell Street area including the interface between the street and Colbert station. Plans included a raised platform and new pedestrian crossing across Parnell Street at the entry to Colbert Station to complement the new pedestrian plaza. Work was completed in 2017.^[11]

In 2024 a new bus terminal was opened.^[12] The new terminal has 20 bus bays and digital information screens.^[13]

See also

• List of railway stations in Ireland
• Limerick Suburban Rail
• Great Southern and Western Railway
• History of rail transport in Ireland

References

1. "Bus Éireann News - Bus Éireann - View Ireland Bus and Coach Timetables & Buy Tickets". Buseireann.ie. 13 January 2015. from the original on 16 January 2015. Retrieved 22 May 2019.
2. Irish Rail. "Limerick (Colbert)". Irishrail.ie. from the original on 16 January 2015. Retrieved 22 May 2019.
3. "Limerick". Irrs.ie. from the original on 30 November 2017. Retrieved 22 May 2019.
4. "Limerick as a railway centre" (PDF). www.limerickcity.ie. (PDF) from the original on 24 May 2018. Retrieved 22 May 2019.
5. Artymiuk, Simon (15 December 2022). "Irish Rail to rehabilitate Limerick - Foynes freight line". International Railway Journal. Retrieved 26 January 2024.
6. "WESTLIFE- My Love". from the original on 29 June 2016. Retrieved 30 November 2016 – via www.youtube.com.
7. "Green light for €16.8m new Limerick travel plaza". www.limerickleader.ie. from the original on 18 November 2017. Retrieved 22 May 2019.
8. "Works progressing at Limerick's Colbert Station". www.limerickleader.ie. from the original on 18 November 2017. Retrieved 22 May 2019.
9. Burke, Ceimin. "Major disruptions coming down the tracks for Limerick train users". TheJournal.ie. from the original on 10 December 2019. Retrieved 22 May 2019.
10. "LimerickSignalling". www.irrs.ie. from the original on 16 November 2018. Retrieved 29 May 2018.
11. "Parnell, Davis & Wickham Street Upgrade & Improvement Works - Limerick.ie". www.limerick.ie. from the original on 25 May 2019. Retrieved 22 May 2019.
12. Sassone, Erika (11 January 2024). "Limerick's Colbert Station officially reopens to bus passengers". Irish Independent. Retrieved 26 January 2024.
13. "Limerick's new bus terminus to welcome first passengers". Limerick's Live 95. 11 January 2024. Retrieved 26 January 2024.

External links

 

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Limerick railway station.

• Irish Rail Limerick (Colbert) station Website
• Limerick–Clonmel–Waterford & Nenagh lines